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A year ago, I thought it would be a fun endeavor to do one (or more) century rides every month for the year. Looking back on the last 12 months, these rides gave me the motivation I needed to bike outside even when conditions were grim, alongside so many friends, on new and familiar roads, and with plenty of time for quiet, solo reflection
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Strava: transVA H380 phase 1 | transVA H380 phase 2
In my quest to tackle more bikepacking routes reachable by train, I was delighted when TransVirginia popped up on my Instagram feed a few weeks prior to the May 17th grand depart. I'd been feeling ambivalent about repeating any of the rides I did in 2024 (TATR10 and the VTS8 north lobe), and this event would bring me to 100% uncharted territory. Strava: darkest day
Reflecting on 2024, this year has brought me an abundance of wonderful new connections and experiences, perhaps most notably new bike friends. Shortly after riding the Black Friday Discount Century in late November, my most recent new bike friend, Noa, reached out with a grand scheme for celebrating the winter solstice doing something we love. Strava: VT Super 8: north lobe
10 days after wrapping up The Adirondack Trail Ride (TATR), I found myself on the lawn of the Vermont State House amidst several dozen other riders about to embark on the grand depart of the VT Super 8. As my friend Meg once said, 10 days after a big effort is when you reap the rewards, so I was banking on that wisdom going into this ride. The Adirondack Trail Ride, or TATR, is a bikepacking route that circumnavigates upstate New York's 6-million-acre Adirondack Park. Every September, there's a grand depart that draws dozens of riders looking to ride (and race) the route starting at the same time from Northville, NY. The original, or "OG," route (585 miles with 51,650' of climbing) is long and infamously rugged, with mile after mile of hike-a-bike through chunky boulder fields and marshes, two major river crossings, and bushwhacking through dense forests.
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about the authorPhoebe is a writer, spatial data enthusiast, and fan of bikes, bagels, and type II fun. Archives
December 2025
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